Getting Results
E280: Everything is NOT a Priority
Have you ever felt like you can’t get to everything? Does it feel like no matter what you do, something is going to get dropped? Today, I want to shift your thinking. Everything is not a priority, and not all priorities are created equally. Let’s unpack what this means.
>> Links mentioned within <<
1) Get the PowerWeek-PowerLife System: https://powerweekpowerlife.com/
2) If you want to Develop Your Brand, Increase Your Influence, and Accelerate Your Impact, join our Leadership Community of Growth Champions:
→ https://growthchampion.com/
3) Book an exploratory call: https://www.clevelfreedom.com/bookwithriv
4) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel of Leadership Videos for new weekly videos.
- Duration:
- 9m
- Broadcast on:
- 10 Sep 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Have you ever felt like you just can't get to everything? Does it feel like no matter what you do, something's going to get dropped? Today I want to shift your thinking. Everything is not a priority and not all priorities are credit equal. Let's unpack what this really means. Hi everyone, this is Jim Rivielo and I want to welcome you to the Getting Results podcast. I'm so excited to have you here so let's get started. Results matter. In fact, we're paid to get results. So the big question is this. How do business leaders like us who really want to do the right thing and make a difference? How do they get results? How do they effectively lead others in the face of adversity and how do they find a strength and courage to role model the behavior they want to see in others? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answer. My name is Jim Rivielo and welcome to Getting Results. Many of us are on a treadmill. Everywhere we turn, someone or something is demanding our attention and we convince ourselves that things will change once we get through a specific event or project except they never do. We have to face the truth. We are the ones that need to change. It's time to look deeply in the mirror and examine where and with whom we spend our time and energy. That starts with one of the major mindset shifts I offer every leader I coach and that is this. Everything is not a priority and all priorities are not credit equal. See, every business has peaks and valleys but that doesn't give us permission to join the crazy. See, the successful happy people I know are capable of achieving any objective. Why? Because they have learned to change the way they perceive the work they have to do and/or accomplish their goals. Were they born with these skills? No, they acquired them. The same is true for you and for me. As leaders, we have to shift our thinking. Convincing ourselves that everything must be attended to is an illusion. So here's what I want you to do. I want you to examine everything you tell yourself you have to do today, right? As you're looking at the overflowing list, I want you to ask yourself a couple of questions. Does every task have to get done today or even this week? Can some tasks be reprioritized for later? Can you delegate a certain task to someone else? Can other tasks be eliminated altogether? See, these are just a few questions that every leader needs to ask. If you want to create a rhythm routine to get things done more efficiently, so you're free up time for yourself, follow the link in the description and get our Power Week Power Life System. This is the exact system I use and the repeatable system I've taught hundreds of leaders. Check it out. The link is in the description. Right now, I encourage you to time travel to the end of the week. I want you to imagine it's Friday. I want you to visualize yourself having a great week. Like, why? Because you had the time to work on a compass, the most important items on your to-do list. At LXU, we call these items our big rocks. Now imagine for a second, if every week felt like this. I know what you're thinking. That's impossible. Here's the truth. It's not. See, it's easy to complain that you have too much to do. Just look around and observe the number of people who bitch about that. The harder task is to actually do something about it. And those who do are the same ones who get results. And they're also the same ones who experience their freedom to do what they love. See, so while everything may feel like a priority, we have to challenge ourselves to identify the three most important priorities or big rocks each week that if we complete or advance are going to make us happy, like extremely happy. See, most leaders have a difficult time sorting their list of priorities. I have a lightweight process for sorting my overflowing to-do list. I call it the 4D filter. The process starts with, one, what can you dump? I don't know about you, but there are plenty of tasks that I carry around with myself from week to week that by the time I eventually get to them, they don't still matter anymore. That's a prime example of something I dump. Next is, what can I delegate? If someone can do something at least 80% as good as me, I got to get it off my plate. The same is true for you. Next is, what could you defer? See, many times the things that are vying for attention are important, no doubt, but not critical to get done this week. If that's the case, get your schedule out and move them so you clear up space this week. After using this filter, what left that falls out of that is what's left for you to do this week. So I use this filter to create what I call my weekly flight plan. If you want a short overview of how the 4D filter works, go to powerweekpowerlife.com and I'll walk you through the process. The 4D filter is just one of several tools we offer in the Power Week Power Lake system. See, some leaders tell me that they struggle to determine their big rocks. If that's you, don't worry, you're not alone. Let me give you some advice, whether you're a leader or an employee. If you're a leader, you should meet with your team to review the priorities for the week ahead. Sounds like common sense, right? Guess what? Common sense is not always common practice. I'm amazed, just totally amazes me sometimes to how many leaders still don't do this consistently. If you're an employee and you're not sure what your priorities are, schedule a meeting with your boss. Take ownership and ask them, "Hey, what's most important this week? What are the three things that they care about the most?" See, one of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to help their team understand what's important and what's not and where they should be and what they should be working on or not working on. Conversely, one of the primary responsibilities of every employee is to ensure that their alignments are boss. To me, this is a two-way street. That's why I said that, depending on whether you're a leader or employee, you got to get alignment. If your priorities involve other people like family, friends, coworkers, talk to them, ask them what they need and when. Ask their opinion regarding what should come first and or if they can lend a hand on a specific task. Whatever you do, don't mistake activity for achievement. We all have a responsibility to ensure the most important work gets done first. It's easy to give up and think it's all important, but it's not true. Everything is not a priority and all priorities are not created equal. Every leader at every level needs to develop the ability to sort their overflowing to-do list and work on the things that matter first. So let me close with this. I want you to imagine ending the week feeling a level of accomplishment. You haven't felt a long time. Just imagine how cool that would be. The only way to do that is if you have a system. If you want to learn the exact system I use and repeatable system I've taught hundreds of leaders, go to powerweekpowerlife.com and I'll teach you how to create a rhythm and routine to get to things done on your opportunity list more efficiently so you in fact free up time for yourself. Follow the link in the description if you're interested. I also included a link in the description to schedule an exploratory call. If you want to explore how we can teach your team these principles. Okay, if you like what I share today do me a favor. Give it a thumbs up, drop a comment below related to your business, and of course subscribe because each week I'm sharing content to help you and your team embrace change, focus your efforts, and accelerate results. Remember this, you're just one idea why. Talk to you soon. If you want to get out of the weeds you need to do more than just hire the right people. You need to get the right people to do the right things. The truth is this leaders are only as good as a team they surround themselves with. I invite you to join Leadership X University and get access to a thriving community of like-minded business leaders just like yourself. The entire community is designed to be one big support group for leaders who want to get out of the weeds and get their teams to step up. Go to growthchamping.com or follow the link in the description to learn more. In the meantime do me a favor and share this with others and whatever way serves your best. Enjoy your week and I'll talk to you next episode.